Kingdom Hearts: Dawn of Ruin
by dart91
Summary: Leo's perfect world is turned upside down when a mysterious black orb appears over the horizon and begins to assimilate the entire town. He awakens to a mysterious power in the form of a key-shaped sword and is joined by a wandering monk in his quest to reclaim his lost home, and the love of his life. But the journey may be far more complex then he realised...
1. Chapter 1- Prelude to a Dream

My attempt at re-telling the Kingdom Hearts literature from a more 'reality-based' point of view. All Kingdom Hearts material is owned by Square Enix and related parties. I own none of these.

He felt himself sinking, his back flowing against gentle waves. He was drifting, no, he was sinking.

"Where am I...?"

He weakly opened his eyes. Blue oceanic ripples covered his vision. There was a bright light above the watery surface, yet it dissipated and rippled over the surface. His senses had begun to go numb and he lost consciousness again.

The next time he awoke, it was on a glowing white surface. He got up to his feet and looked around. The circle of light was as if someone had cast a big stage light on an otherwise dark and empty stage floor. The circle of grey light had cracks and fissures emanating from the centre The sight frightened him, as if it was something he had not wanted to see. He slowly began to walk away from the light's fold, the dark outer realm called out to him.

"What is this place?" he murmured as he took his first step out of the light, but no more than half way down had he set his foot when a foreign voice echoed in his mind.

"Don't you recognize this place?"

A sudden jolt that froze him in place. He was standing on top of a platform that extended deep into the darkness.

"Who's there?!" he called out, looking frantically into the darkness.

"Don't be afraid. I know why you are here."

It was difficult to understand the voice because it was neither masculine nor feminine. Instead, the words flowed into the boy's mind. He looked around, hoping to see someone, but he was all alone within the circle of light. A faint golden light began to glimmer at the platform's centre.

"I can guide you, but only until you are ready to stand on your own."

The words echoed in the boy's mind as he approached the growing stream of light. By the time he reached it, it had grown to nearly half his body's size.

"Will you be able to do this?"

The light began to fade, revealing traces of an object embedded in the origin of the platform's cracks. What was left from the light's flow was a silver blade with a chrome hilt and a purple jewel at the center of the hilt.

"Do you have what it takes...?"

The boy studied the swords from its hilt downwards. The blade was halfway within the center of the platform. There were runes on the blade's hilt, adorned with an oval jewel at the blade's cross guard. How could he not reach out for it?

"You will discover endless possibilities..."

He grabbed the sword. It felt cold and sent a single pulse through his entire body.

"But from within these possibilities, you must find your own path..."

His arm felt stronger, as if the pulse had just filled him with energy. He began to pull the sword slowly from the gash.

"Believe in the human heart and it's potential..."

Rays of light began to shoot from the gash, but the boy did not stop.

"Believe...and bear..."

The blade was nearly free of its prison. The shooting rays of light burst into powerful streams.

"Bear the burden..."

The scars on the surface began to fill with the same light. Black cracks began to fill and merge, enlightening the entire surface.

"Bear the burden...and obtain the salvation you seek..."

The gashes on the surface quickly healed as the platform became blindingly bright. The boy covered his eyes with the back of his hand, as the voice echoed.

"Never forget; seek the goodness in others if you want to continue down your path."

The surface was flowing with streams of pure white light. The shinning stream flowed into the depths of darkness like a waterfall.

"If you ever find yourself in doubt...return here and become one with me again..."

The waterfall quickly subsided, and the remaining puddle of light on the surface erupted into the air, transforming into dove-like creatures as they spread their wings and took towards the surface.

"Because I am you...and you, are me."

The boy stood in awe. What was once a scarred grey surface had now come alive with color, shards of glass coming together to form a mosaic. The sword dissipated from his hand.

The outer rim of the platform depicted a shape resembling twin intersecting circles with a single star in between, while the center of the platform depicted mosaic art of a sleeping boy clad in silver shirt. Surrounding the boy were six empty circles.

"That's...me?" he whispered. No sooner had he completed his fragment, that the platform began to glow. It would light up for a second, briefly go dim and then light up again, almost like the beating of a heart. The boy looked skywards where dancing blue rays reflected on a watery surface.

Leo Caelius awoke in his bed, the light of the moon still fresh and bright in his room. He sat upright briefly before resting against the wall of his window, gazing at the county outside.

Leo's world was a small one. He had lived in the county neighbourhood with his grandparents all his life. The houses were small unit plots with a rectangular courtyard and standard sized garage upfront. By day, the neighbourhood would be crawling with people, but no one was out this late at night. At least, that's how it usually is, but one room remained untimely lit in the house across Leo's. It was the Erebus household, consisting of young Ayla Erebus living with her grandparents. She and Leo had spent their childhood together. They were content in this peaceful neighbourhood that had access to all the world's facilities at walking distance. Ayla and Leo were the county's most promising young couple and this meant everyone knew about them.

Leo tried to concentrate on the room through the curtains, not perturbed for a second by the dream he just had. His deep black eyes barely reflected the moon's light and his spiky light brown hair glistened. The light being on at this time meant Ayla was working on something, but Leo couldn't imagine what could be so important as to stay up till 3 AM. He couldn't see her, but he could picture her. Ayla, with her sleek gentle frame, hazelnut hair and tender black eyes, was most probably sitting at her study, either jotting down notes or just because she was not sleepy. Unbeknownst to him, Ayla was looking back at his room from behind the curtain. She could make out his silhouette through the window and knew he had just had another dream. The two smiled at one another from behind their windows.

The light in Ayla's room went out. Leo retired to bed as well. His mind pondered towards the strange feeling that had pulsed through him. It was a mix of nostalgia and unease, as if he was forgetting something important. It did not stick to him for long though, as Leo fell asleep within a few heartbeats.


	2. Chapter 2

*So I got a few views, but no reviews? I must be doing alright then :)*

Leo was dreaming again, but this was his usual dream; an empty darkness. It was quiet and peaceful until a voice began to echo, increasing in intensity from a mere mumble...

"Leo...Wake up...getting late..."

"Uhhh...just 5 more minutes grandma..." he drowsily mumbled, hoping he could call in sick.

"Wake up Leo! You have your science project with Ayla today!"

Leo's eyes popped open almost instantly.

"And you're running late!"

Leo nearly jumped out of bed. "Aw hell!" he exclaimed. A second later, Leo was changing into his black slim fit jeans and his favorite 'Quickdraw Silver' shirt.

"I'm late!"

Jonathan Caelius sat in the kitchen, smoking his pipe while reading the newspaper. He heard thumping and the sound of things fall on the floor above him. "Guess he's awake..." he said lowly. Mariya Caelius was putting the finishing touches on Leo's lunch. "Of course, you know how he was looking forward to working with Ayla for the science project!" she said, splitting the last piece of pepperoni in a lunch box.

More thumping, more things falling. Jonathan puffed small cloud from his pipe. "I can tell by his sleep schedule just how excited he is..." he remarked sarcastically. Mariya replied with a pout. "Now you know how boys his age have this sleep schedule thing come along. They're practically nocturnal at this age" she said, hinting at Leo's growth as a mid teenager.

"Better get that lunch box ready dear...I think I hear him coming." said Jonathan with a smirk. As if on que, the sound of rapid footsteps descending the staircase could be heard. Their's was one of few houses in the county that actually had another floor. Mariya quickly placed the sandwich from the oven into the lunch box and ran towards the door, where she would barely catch Leo and hand him his food. Despite being grandparents, the two of them were astonishingly young-looking.

"Leo! Leo! Don't forget your lunch box!" she exclaimed, catching Leo just as he opened the door. She had to throw the lunch box to him. "Thanks grandma! Save me a piece of cake!" he exclaimed as the door closed behind him. Mariya smiled. "That boy...wish his brain was as fast as his nose..."

Normally there would be time to walk to campus, but Leo was already 10 minutes late. He was running while holding on to his pants, quite literally.

"Of all the days!" he muttered to himself. He passed by several people, most of whom gave way and shouted back words of encouragement like "Go get em tiger!" or "Good luck!"

The school was at a 25 minute walking distance, but it wasn't surprising when Leo got there in 10, gasping for air. He was 20 minutes late, and if Ayla's turn had come first and he wasn't there, they would both fail!

"Crap! Please don't be first! Please don't be FIRST!" he thought as he ran through the empty hallways. He slid open the door to room number seven, out of breath and un-surprised to see that the presentations had begun. Of course, everyone in class was looking at him, especially their science instructor Mr Kimberly.

"Lucky you Mr Caelius...if Anna's project had not been about Arctic ice, you would have failed the project by now" he said spitefully.

"Yes! Not late!" cheered Leo in his mind, quickly making his way to his seat at the back of class. He had just been seated when a paper plane landed on his cheek. Leo looked around to see Ayla, smiling and signalling to open the plane. Leo did just that, but what he saw nearly blew the few bits of air he had taken in.

"Did you bring the report on Caspian Mammals?"

The agony! Leo had completely forgotten about the report! It was in document format in his laptop at home! Leo looked at Ayla with a mix of tension and guilt. But her smile did not change, in fact, it widened. She signalled him to check his desk drawer. Leo did so and found a green laminated document with the words "Caspian Mammals, a report by Ayla Erebus and Leo Caelius" printed in bold on top. Never before had Leo been so quick to change from desperation to contentment. Ayla and some the girls sitting around her who had watched the entire thing began to playfully giggle.

The last bell echoed throughout the campus. Within seconds, the courtyard had become crowded with impressionable young men and women. Many gossiped over how they would spend their holidays abroad, while others made plans to get together throughout vacations. Amidst the crowd, a struggling Leo tried to make his way to the gate, where Ayla was waiting with her friends.

"Ayla! Hey, Ayla!" Leo called out, still only halfway through the crowd.

Ayla turned around, unable to suppress the slight giggle that escaped her when she saw Leo literally swimming through the crowd. By the time he reached her, he was practically out of breath.

"I...uhhh...sorry I'm late" he said with touch of guilt in his voice.

Ayla's friends playfully giggled and began to walk away, one of them even passing a wink of the eye to Leo.

"It's ok. You know I've always waited for you here" said Ayla, desperately trying to repress the blush that had come to life on her face. She turned towards the setting sun, such Leo could only see the right half of her face with her beautiful hair humming with the breeze.

"And besides! You know last day of school is always jam-packed!" she said. The sun set her complexion aglow as a smile one again arched across her face.

Leo also turned towards the setting sun, which was creating a beautiful orange horizon complete with lofty gold clouds. But he couldn't admire the scene forever. The reason he was here with Ayla was because he had intended on asking her out. Although they had been childhood friends, the two had never actually gone out with each other on a more 'private' scale.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

Ayla snapped him out of his trance.

"Yeah...we've been seeing the same sunset since we were kids, but it never gets old..."

"It's because every time I look at the sun, I get the feeling that tomorrow will be a brand new day" came Ayla's voice once more, this time embedded with a thoughtfulness. Leo had always been attracted to this particular side of Ayla's, that she was able to bring out the good in everyone and everything. Never had he heard about Ayla being upset or a moment where she was not there for her friends. It was as though everyone she connected with would become inspired by her optimistic and perky attitude, but Ayla also had a secret, philosophical side that only Leo knew about.

"Yeah. A new day, a new chance to make fulfill old promises and make new ones..."

This was the tough part. While Leo appreciated Ayla's ability to express herself, it was the one thing he was unable to cope with. He could not translate his feelings into words like she could.

"Speaking of promises..."

Ayla quickly faced Leo, grabbed his hand and placed a small object in the palm of his hand.

"Keep this safe at all times, OK? It's a lucky charm I made for you."

Leo observed the little trinket in his hand. It was chrome silver, a chain with an ornament that resembled two intertwined circles with a gold diamond like star hanging in the intersection point of the circles.

"I got one just like this! Promise me you'll keep it with you."

Leo was speechless. he had intended on surprising her and she had so easily reciprocated the situation. He looked back at her, adoring her gentle face against the setting sun.

"You bet! I'll hang on to this forever!" he replied. Ayla began to walk away.

"Great! I'll see you tomorrow then! Let's meet up outside the tram station after lunch!"

"It's a promise!" replied Leo. It was not until Ayla disappeared entirely that Leo snapped out his trance and smacked his head with his palm.

"What? Damn! I was the one supposed to ask her out...not the other way around!"

Leo looked at the chain ornament. It had stitch marks and the silver shade was uneven at certain joints of the chain. Had Ayla made this herself?

Suddenly, Leo's blood began to run cold. Something had set its sight on him. It had a powerful malice that pierced his very body. Leo looked around frantically, hoping to find the source of this uneasy feeling. But there was no one in front of him and the school had long since become empty. As if struck by an electric wire, Leo jolted backwards, where he saw a silver-haired man wearing a black robe with spiked silver chains dangling from his hood and chest zip. He could not make his face out. The flow of time came to a screeching halt as the hooded figure and Leo faced off.

"Who are you?!" Leo shouted. The hooded figure turned to walk in the other direction, completely ignoring Leo's question. As he began to walk away, he spoke a few words.

"The closer you get to the Light...the darker the shadow you cast..."

Leo was now baffled and tense. Who was this guy? What nonsense was he spouting?

"It's only a matter of time now...before this place becomes tied to the Void and dissipates into Darkness..."

A sight that defied the law of reality beheld Leo, as a space teared open in front of the hooded figure and dark blue mist seeped through. Leo froze in his steps, unable to comprehend, but the figure moved towards this anomaly, disappearing into the seeping mist before it closed and vanished completely. Leo could not move, he could barely breathe. It was not until a few seconds after the misty portal disappeared that Leo began to shudder. his nerves were pounding and his mind was racing, trying to make sense of the surge of emotions that had passed through him. His brain was unable to come up with any excuse or logic. Leo slapped himself, hoping it would set him right. he muttered to himself:

"Get a grip Leo Caelius! You're losing it before summer vacation even STARTS!"

He tightened his grip on Ayla's lucky charm. It comforted him to some extent, but he couldn't shake off the sinking sensation in his stomach. Leo decided it would be best to high tail back to the house and get some rest.

The walk back home was longer than usual. Leo couldn't shake the hooded figure's image from his mind for even a moment. By the time Leo was home, it was past 9 PM, which meant cold food from the fridge. Leo skipped dinner and went straight to bed, not even bothering to change into his pajamas. It didn't take long before the physical and mental exhaustion put him to sleep.

As Leo slept, a broad figure moved quietly towards his bed. It settled in front of the window until the figure cast its shadow over the sleeping Leo. The moon cast its pale light over the room, as the figure muttered in a low volume:

"So young...will he be able to fathom any of this?"

He did not speak as lowly as he had intended, because Leo began to stir from his sleep. Leo got up from the bed and looked at the moon through the window.

Only one thought comforted him; the thought of meeting Ayla during the day.


End file.
